10 Highest Waterfalls in the World

At slightly less than 2,840 feet (865 meters) in total height, Vinnufossen is regarded as Europe's highest --and one of its most dramatic -- waterfalls. This glacially fed waterfall is the centerpiece of a series of falls that line a cliff near Sunndalen, Norway. All of the falls pitch out from a high bluff of rock, each carving a notch in its sheer face. But it's Vinnufossen's further path that earns it recognition, and no small amount of awe, from onlookers.

Vinnufossen begins with a plunge that leaps out from the cliff face and fans into a misty tail of rushing water. This horsetail stretches some 590 feet (179 meters) in flight, making it one of the longest measured drops of its type in the world.

After its initial plunge, the waterfall veils: It splits into a series of intertwining falls that lace the face of the steep cliff. These various subfalls divide around jagged rocks and tenacious foliage before reconnecting toward the bottom third of the cliff. As it nears the valley floor, the massive waterfall nears 500 feet (152.4 meters) in total width [source: World Waterfall Database].